Power Transmission Cable for Electric Aircraft using Bio LNG for Cooling and Thermal Management

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Program:
Exploratory Topics
Award:
$1,600,000
Location:
Columbus, Ohio
Status:
ACTIVE
Project Term:
08/13/2021 - 08/12/2024

Technology Description:

There are two key engineering challenges in the development of 10 kV, 10 MW electric power distribution cables for double-aisle passenger aircraft. One is providing sufficient electrical insulation at high voltages and the second is transferring heat away from the conductors. Hyper Tech Research will decrease the resistivity of copper-clad aluminum conductors by a factor of three by maintaining the temperature of the conductors at around 120 Kelvin. The goal of the technology is to reduce the conductor size, cryostat size, and cable volume and weight to significantly lower the mass-per-unit length of the cable. The team proposes to use available carbon neutral fuel, such as bio-liquefied natural gas (Bio-LNG), for electrical insulation and as a heat transfer medium. After cooling the cable, the Bio-LNG fuel will be consumed in an onboard turbogenerator or fuel cell.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Isik Kizilyalli
Project Contact:
Mr. Matthew Rindfleisch
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
mrindfleisch@hypertechresearch.com

Partners

Air Force Research Laboratory
The Boeing Company
Ohio State University

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